join us

Open positions, application timelines, and how to get in touch.

I am starting a group at NUS in December 2026, jointly in the School of Computing and the Department of Physics, and I am recruiting at every level.

We work on quantum advantage and the boundary of classical simulation, quantum simulation of many-body and open systems, and machine learning for quantum computing — see research for what that means in practice. Theory-leaning, numerics-leaning, and hardware-facing projects are all available, and qualified candidates will also have opportunities to work with industry partners in quantum computing, including Quantinuum, Google, and IBM.

Open positions

  • Postdoctoral researchers — from December 2026. Candidates holding, or applying for, their own fellowship are especially welcome; I am glad to host applications.
  • PhD students — through the NUS graduate programmes in Computer Science or Physics. Funding is normally through an NUS Research Scholarship or SINGA; see the deadlines below.
  • Visiting researchers and students — for focused projects, typically three months or longer.
  • Master's, FYP and UROP students — once I am on campus.
Backgrounds. Physics, computer science, and applied mathematics are all natural starting points. Prior quantum experience helps but is not required — several of the problems I care about are, at heart, questions about algorithms, optimisation, or statistics. If you are not sure whether you fit, write anyway.

PhD application timeline

The part people most often miss: the scholarship deadlines run roughly a year ahead of the intake. If you are aiming to start in August, the application is due the preceding December.

Intake SINGA deadline Get in touch by
August 1 December (preceding year) October–November
January 1 June (preceding year) April–May

SINGA covers PhDs in the physical sciences and engineering, which includes this group's work. NUS Research Scholarship deadlines are set by each school and can differ — please check the School of Computing and Department of Physics graduate admissions pages for the exact dates, and treat the table above as the planning horizon rather than the final word.

Getting in touch

Email me at quantum.yxz@gmail.com with:

  • a CV,
  • a short note on what you would like to work on and why — a paragraph is plenty, and a specific reaction to one of the papers on the research page tells me far more than a general statement of interest,
  • for PhD applicants, when you intend to apply and which scholarship you are targeting.

I read everything that arrives, though replies can be slow during heavy stretches.